


Yet Another New York Times T Magazine Exclusive: Inside America's Greatest Love Story

by StrawberryLane



Series: A Timeline Reconstructed: Lady Luck and Mister Barnes [4]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Female Steve Rogers, Gossip, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Interviews, Journalism, Marriage, New York Times, New York Times T Magazine, News Media, Publicity, Sam and Natasha are mentioned but do not appear, nothing graphic it's talked about
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-12
Updated: 2016-11-12
Packaged: 2018-08-30 13:32:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8535112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StrawberryLane/pseuds/StrawberryLane
Summary: “Bucky made the cookies and the cinnamon rolls,” Stephanie tells me, eager to make sure there is no fuel added to the fires claiming that the marriage is an unequal one. “Sure, we got hitched in the 30’s, but that doesn’t mean our marriage is the stereotypical housewife scenario."
—̶ Excerpt from yet another New York Times T Magazine Exclusive, this time with both Lady Luck and the Winter Soldier.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sure if I should actually use this picture, because I haven't made the manip myself and I can't find the person who has actually made it. If you know who that person is, it would be really nice if you could tell me so I could give them credit! 
> 
> Manip and logo was found on google images, text was added by me.

 

* * *

 

                                 

**By Amber Bruckhardt**

Having met and interviewed both Lady Luck and the Winter Soldier separately before, I thought I was more than ready for interviewing both of them at the same time. I was wrong.

I meet up with the couple, who have been legally married for over eighty years, and together for eighty two, for a picnic in Central Park, in August 2016, two months after my interview with the Winter Soldier, who still insists I call him Bucky. “No one calls me James, except when they’re mad at me.”

 

When we decided on a picnic, Lady Luck informed me she would take care of the food, all I had to do was show up. I excepted she would buy ready made sandwiches at the closest grocery store, but no. Arriving at our meeting spot I am greeted by more food than I thought it possible for three people to ever consume. I’m reminded that these two aren’t just regular people, they are supersoldiers.

“We need to eat every two hours, Bucky even more often, because of his arm. A lot of energy and calories is needed for our bodies to be on top at all times,” Stephanie informs me as she invites me to sit down next to her husband on the picnic blanket with red and white squares. As I sit down I begin to ask her if she needs any help with unloading the basket carrying all the food. “Don’t bother,” Bucky informs me before I have even finished my question. “I tried to help and got snapped at,” he laughs as he reclines on the blanket, soaking up the sun. I get the sudden image of a cat in my head.

There’s all kinds of sandwiches, (with ham, cheese and some with vegetables on), pasta salads, chocolate chip cookies and cinnamon rolls, coffee and juice. I am drooling.

“Bucky made the cookies and the cinnamon rolls,” Stephanie tells me, eager to make sure there is no fuel added to the fires claiming that the marriage is an unequal one. “Sure, we got hitched in the 30’s, but that doesn’t mean our marriage is the stereotypical housewife scenario. I’ve seen those comment threads, and I would like to clarify that our relationship is harmonious and there is no spousal abuse on either side,” she is, of course, referring to the comment threads that appeared during the coverage of the Winter Soldier’s trial. People were arguing that the assassin should be charged with domestic violence as well, based on the explosive fight between the couple during their 2014 reunion. “If your husband shoots you, hits you repeatedly in the face and lands you in the hospital, that’s abuse,” user GrAcEGoRdOn126 argued. When I bring the subject up, Stephanie scowls and Bucky’s eyes flicker with something I think may be guilt. “If we work by that definition,” Stephanie says, “then I should go up for spousal abuse, too. I hit him with my shield, I broke his arm. But that’s not to say that if your spouse does something that hurts you, even if it’s with words, you shouldn’t take the necessary steps to remove them from the intimidate circle of people around you. If something like that happened to anyone reading this, I would suggest they called the police for help. Remove the person causing you harm away from yourself.”

She assures me their fights are usually nonviolent. “This was a one time thing. He won’t even spar with me now, even though he knows I can handle it. So we bicker instead.”

They really do. During the two hours I spend with them, I am the witness to several occasions of bickering. “Like an old married couple,” would be a good descriptor for how the duo behaves when not attending official galas and events. “We’re no different from anybody else,” Bucky tells me. “People seem to think we have this jet set, glamorous life, but no, we argue about doing the dishes and taking out the trash just as much as any other couples.”

 

I ask if getting back together, so to speak, was the obvious thing for the couple. “I wasn’t sure,” Bucky says, reaching out to squeeze his wife’s hand, “My memory is still like playing Russian roulette, even on a good day and back in 2014 I honestly thought she had moved on.”

Stephanie’s relationship with Sam Wilson (Falcon), the air force paratrooper turned Avenger, has been the subject of many gossip articles and tabloids, both before Bucky’s return and after.

 

Were they dating? Had they secretly gotten married, with the Black Widow as their maid of Honor? Was Lady Luck pregnant? Was it unamerican, the union between a black man and a white woman?

”Sam and I are friends,” Stephanie says, smiling. ”We’ve never been anything other than friends. Bucky knows this. They’re quite good friends themselves nowadays.”

Bucky grumbles at this. It’s well known that the relationship between the Winter Soldier and the Falcon got off to a rocky start. ”I destroyed his wings. That’s not really a great way to say, hey, you seem like a good guy, want to be friends? Also, are you my wife’s boyfriend?”

Did Bucky ever feel jealous of his wife’s relationship with the Falcon?

”Well...No. I mean, I know now that they have never been anything more than friends. Besides, if they really were a couple, there’s not much I could’ve done about that. Steph thought I was dead, you can’t fault her for moving on.”

”I wouldn’t have done that,” Stephanie cuts in and Bucky frowns. ”So what, you would’ve remained an unmarried widow your whole life? You’re in your twenties, that’s bullshit.”

And the old married couple makes their appearance once again.

“Sorry, we’re not usually like this, we do try and behave,” Stephanie tells me as she offers me another cinnamon roll.

“We’re like this all the time,” Bucky assures me, playfully sticking his tongue out at his wife. I ask if they always knew they were going to be together. There’s still so much we do not know about James and Stephanie Barnes and it was only recently revealed that Stephanie Barnes and Lady Luck was the same person.

 

“Well, our relationship has changed a lot, over the years,” Stephanie admits, suddenly serious. “We met when we were kids and he defended me from a bully. I was small and scrawny, but that didn’t stop me from trying to beat the bully who attacked me up. Needless to say, I would’ve lost if not for Bucky. We were attached to the hip after that and when I was sixteen, he asked me to be his best girl. Our parents used to joke we would grow up and fall in love when we were kids. I would always tell ma she was wrong, there was no way Bucky and I would be going steady, because he was something of a playboy, always taking different girls out dancing.”

“I was only doing that because I didn’t want to realize I was in love with you.”

“I know. So after we did the whole, confess our feelings for each other, thing, we got married as soon as we could. We saw no reason to wait.”

 

How did Bucky react when he found out that the whole world thought he had cheated on his wife with Lady Luck?

“My heart just about broke. But at the same time, she wasn’t even allowed to tell me about her transformation for the longest time, so why would she tell the rest of the world? No, it made me feel really shitty, that all these people would think and be so sure I cheated on her, that they wrote it in the history books. Like, thanks for painting me as the bad guy, again.”

“We told the rest of the Commandos pretty soon after I rescued them, because they had heard Buck talk about me, my pre serum self, and didn’t believe he would be unfaithful just like that. Wasn’t in his character, Gabe said. They kept my secret, for all these years, even after there was no real need for it.”

 

So what is next for the super couple I ask as my allotted two hours are coming to a close.

 

“We’re going to continue working with the Avengers. Bucky’s still not an official member, but he will be soon, so that’s exciting. Aside from that, we’re going to work on various charities, catch up on the 21st century and all the things we have missed and just get back into this whole being married thing. But what’s next for us right this minute, is trying to find the right dress and suit for a gala we’re attending tomorrow,” Stephanie tells me as we pack up what’s left of our lunch. Bucky, informs me that they both hate shopping, which is why they always leave things like this to the last minute. “You’d think we’d get better at it, the more events we have to attend, but no, it’s always the day before.”


End file.
